Uploaded July 2019 | Updated September 2026, 7 hours ago
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"Disco Dancer" by KIKI GYAN
Curated by: Tyler Pavlas
Spotify: bit.ly/DiscoDancerKikiGyan
Genre: #disco
Disco is like a mid-century modern piece of furniture. Like the style, the genre is deeply rooted in self-expression, dancing through a time signature in the same way the angles of a swan chair might make its mark on your studio apartment. Although both were born in a specific time period, the ageless pair frequently find their way in and out of society’s collective consciousness.
Kiki Gyan, a world-renowned keyboardist whose concerts held the court of Queen Elizabeth, is a disco artist you might not recognize - but ask Elton John, Mick Jagger, or Marvin Gaye and they’d remember the name well. Hailing from Takoradi, the industrial hub of Ghana, 15 year-old Kiki dropped out and traveled to Accra, the more economically diverse capital where he’d eventually meet and join the West African band Osibisa, who established footholds in pop culture for “world” music through their tour in London. Marketed by record labels as “Africa’s answer to Stevie Wonder”, Kiki was kept close to the limelight, going solo with disco just after his 21st birthday. Despite the initial success with hit single, “24 Hours in a Disco”, Gyan’s career burned destructively bright in the neon of New York’s nightlife, culminating with his death from a myriad of drug-related health issues at the age of 47.
The hypothetical careers of a drug-free Kiki Gyan spring to mind the same way they do in the all too familiar stories of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Mac Miller, but in all cases, I focus on reverence for the art we were fortunate enough to observe. As “Disco Dancer”, the afrobeat-infused anthem kicks into gear, I imagine it being spun by Kiki in the center of NYC’s diverse disco scene during the late 70’s. With a call-and-response chorus that invites you to dance and sing along to spanish lyrics in a language that feels universally understood, Gyan’s prowess lives on in disco’s reincarnation and resurgence.
Rock With This (http://rockwiththis.com) helps you discover your new favorite songs. We deliver the best of what's breaking and uncover the left behind tracks that need to be heard. Subscribe for more music, it's free. ;)
Follow us on:
Instagram: instagram.com/rockwiththismusic
Spotify: bit.ly/SPRockWithThis
SoundCloud: bit.ly/SCRockWithThis
Facebook: facebook.com/rockwiththis
-----------------------------
"Disco Dancer" by KIKI GYAN
Curated by: Tyler Pavlas
Spotify: bit.ly/DiscoDancerKikiGyan
Genre: #disco
Disco is like a mid-century modern piece of furniture. Like the style, the genre is deeply rooted in self-expression, dancing through a time signature in the same way the angles of a swan chair might make its mark on your studio apartment. Although both were born in a specific time period, the ageless pair frequently find their way in and out of society’s collective consciousness.
Kiki Gyan, a world-renowned keyboardist whose concerts held the court of Queen Elizabeth, is a disco artist you might not recognize - but ask Elton John, Mick Jagger, or Marvin Gaye and they’d remember the name well. Hailing from Takoradi, the industrial hub of Ghana, 15 year-old Kiki dropped out and traveled to Accra, the more economically diverse capital where he’d eventually meet and join the West African band Osibisa, who established footholds in pop culture for “world” music through their tour in London. Marketed by record labels as “Africa’s answer to Stevie Wonder”, Kiki was kept close to the limelight, going solo with disco just after his 21st birthday. Despite the initial success with hit single, “24 Hours in a Disco”, Gyan’s career burned destructively bright in the neon of New York’s nightlife, culminating with his death from a myriad of drug-related health issues at the age of 47.
The hypothetical careers of a drug-free Kiki Gyan spring to mind the same way they do in the all too familiar stories of Jimi Hendrix, Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Mac Miller, but in all cases, I focus on reverence for the art we were fortunate enough to observe. As “Disco Dancer”, the afrobeat-infused anthem kicks into gear, I imagine it being spun by Kiki in the center of NYC’s diverse disco scene during the late 70’s. With a call-and-response chorus that invites you to dance and sing along to spanish lyrics in a language that feels universally understood, Gyan’s prowess lives on in disco’s reincarnation and resurgence.
